Very interesting piece, good deal of food for thought. On the question of inequality, I would suggest that the author’s suggestion (that the rise in mistrust is about various actual failures of institutions) is not in fact a refutation of the “it’s caused by inequality” thesis. I would suggest that higher inequality both drives, and is driven by (feedback loop) failing institutions (at least from the perspective of the average citizen). In situations of high inequality, institutions will be driven by the agendas of elites, often to purposes that run counter to their stated missions. Even if those on the low end of the inequality remain either prosperous enough or misled enough to maintain high consumer confidence, they may still notice various specific failures of elite-captured institutions, and lose trust in them.